Winston-Salem 2026 - ATP 250 Preview

This is my Preview of the ATP 250 of Winston-Salem, the only ATP tournament being played this week before the US Open.

Winston-Salem is played on outdoor hard courts and is located at around 250 m. over sea level.

Speed Data

Here are the statistics from the last three years:

• 71.9% of points won on the first serve
• 78.3% of service games held
• 0.50 aces/game
• 0.20 tie-breaks/set

Previous winners

2025: Fucsovics d. Van de Zandschulp

2024: Sonego d. Michelsen

2023: Baez d. Lehecka

2022: Mannarino d. Djere

2021: Ivashka d. M. Ymer

Only one player has lifted the tournament twice, John Isner, in 2011 and 2012.

Weather

For Winston-Salem this week, conditions should be warm but not excessively hot, with daytime highs around 28–31°C (82–88°F) and nighttime lows around 16–20°C (61–68°F). Winds should generally be light, around 5–15 km/h (3–9 mph), so wind is unlikely to be a major factor. Humidity will be moderate early in the week and noticeably higher from Wednesday onward, generally around 60–75% during the day and 80–95% overnight/early morning. Monday and Tuesday look relatively dry and comfortable, while thunderstorm chances increase from Wednesday, particularly Thursday, and humid conditions should persist through the weekend

Players' Quotes

Tsitsipas, 2025: "It’s hot. I think that’s going to be the ultimate challenge for most of the players this week. You have to deal with these conditions and find the right balance between giving your best physically, while also playing and managing the climate, which is not easy."

Coric, 2024: “The fast conditions help me here. The ball is bouncing and the court is fairly quick.”

Stricker, 2024: "It's so fast here, so it's tough to get these break chances."

Purcell, 2023: "The courts are quite fast so it's helping me with my aggressive tennis, coming forward to the net. It's been hard to keep the ball in the court with the lively conditions and I feel I've done a good job on return to make them play that one extra ball. Trying to hold quickly and then straight away put pressure on them to hold their serve is working in my favour."

Gasquet, 2023: “It's really humid out here, really hot.”

Murray, 2022: "The conditions here are pretty challenging. It’s hot and super humid. It’s similar to the conditions we get in New York, so for me to get a few days here training was perfect for that.”

Summary

Coric said in 2024 that the conditions are very fast, but it depends on when the matches are played. He talked about a match played during the day, when it's sunny and hot, the conditions are faster. And at night, the speed of the courts slows down. In 2023, a clay courter like Sebastian Báez won the tournament.

The humidity at midday, if combined with the heat, will be an important factor. Players playing at the mid hours of the day will suffer. This is important.

Moreover, it's a bouncy court.

According to the data, Winston-Salem’s hard courts average out as medium-paced, though that’s a simplification: they play very quick during the day and much slower in the evening because of the humidity.

Draws

 Here’s the link to the tournament draw, which you can check for updates at any time:

• Main draw: https://www.protennislive.com/posting/2026/6242/mds.pdf
• Qualifying Draw: https://www.protennislive.com/posting/2026/6242/qs.pdf